Best Mac cleaners
Checked five apps on the same Mac
All the apps checked the same Mac with the same files. Five tests: a Mac with a classic web developer stack, an iPhone developer’s Mac, a video editor’s Mac, a photographer’s Mac and an everyday user’s Mac. Below is how much junk each one found.
In short
| App | Web developer | iPhone developer | Video editor | Photographer | Everyday user |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacWashing | 25.34 GB | 37.77 GB | 25.76 GB | 23.35 GB | 22.75 GB |
| CleanMyMac | 6.41 GB | 37.2 GB | 6.95 GB | 4.6 GB | 18.9 GB |
| MacKeeper | 6.95 GB | 23.38 GB | 3.79 GB | 3.71 GB | 8.95 GB |
| BuhoCleaner | 8.22 GB | 38.07 GB | 4.64 GB | 5.76 GB | 22.62 GB |
| Sensei | 7.42 GB | 14.07 GB | 4.22 GB | 5.62 GB | 19.06 GB |
How much junk each app found: the user’s large files and the space macOS frees by itself are not counted. Green is the best result in a column.
The apps in this comparison
MacWashing
MacWashing- Free up to 25 GB
- Subscription or lifetime
Checks every removal against its rules database: what it doesn’t know, it leaves alone. Apps and large files go to the Trash by default, so they can be put back.
CleanMyMac
MacPaw- Subscription
- Has a trial
The best-known Mac cleaner, by MacPaw: cleanup, removing apps with their leftovers, malware checks, speed tools. Sold by subscription, with a free trial.
Developer’s site ↗MacKeeper
Clario Tech- Subscription
- Has a trial
A toolkit by Clario Tech: cleanup, antivirus, VPN, ad blocker, memory cleaner. Sold by subscription.
Developer’s site ↗BuhoCleaner
Dr.Buho- Subscription or lifetime
- Has a trial
A light cleaner by Dr.Buho: quick cleanup, large files, duplicates, removing apps, login items. The trial removes the first 3 GB automatically. Beyond that, a subscription or a lifetime license.
Developer’s site ↗Sensei
Cindori- Subscription or lifetime
- Has a trial
An app by Cindori that keeps an eye on the Mac — temperatures, load, disk and battery health — and also cleans junk and removes apps. Subscription or lifetime license, with a free trial.
Developer’s site ↗A Mac with a classic web developer stack
Test 1 of 5- 10 projects: Node.js, PHP, Python
- 8 of them untouched for over 90 days
- VS Code, iTerm2, Chrome, Postman, Docker Desktop
MacWashing after the scan1 of 5
CleanMyMac after the scan2 of 5
MacKeeper after the scan3 of 5
BuhoCleaner after the scan4 of 5
Sensei after the scan5 of 5
How much each app found
MacWashingBuhoCleanerSenseiMacKeeperCleanMyMacjunk: caches, logs, leftovers of appsdependencies of old projects (found, not ticked)space macOS frees by itselfnot junk: languages and parts of apps, mail attachments, backups
Versions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · CleanMyMac 5.7.1 · MacKeeper 6.11 · BuhoCleaner 1.17.0 · Sensei 2.1.3
An iPhone developer’s Mac
Test 2 of 5- Xcode, CocoaPods, Proxyman, Xcodes
- Slack, Discord, Chrome, Safari
MacWashing after the scan1 of 5
CleanMyMac after the scan2 of 5
MacKeeper after the scan3 of 5
BuhoCleaner after the scan4 of 5
Sensei after the scan5 of 5
How much each app found
BuhoCleanerMacWashingCleanMyMacMacKeeperSenseijunk: caches, logs, leftovers of appsyour files, not junk (the app’s «large files»)space macOS frees by itselfnot junk: languages and parts of apps, mail attachments, backups
Versions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · CleanMyMac 5.7.1 · MacKeeper 6.11 · BuhoCleaner 1.17.0 · Sensei 2.1.3
A video editor’s Mac
Test 3 of 5- Premiere Rush, iMovie, CapCut
- HandBrake, LosslessCut, Kap, VLC
- The user’s projects and original footage
MacWashing after the scan1 of 5
CleanMyMac after the scan2 of 5
MacKeeper after the scan3 of 5
BuhoCleaner after the scan4 of 5
Sensei after the scan5 of 5
How much each app found
MacWashingCleanMyMacBuhoCleanerSenseiMacKeeperjunk: caches, logs, leftovers of appsyour files, not junk (the app’s «large files»)space macOS frees by itselfnot junk: languages and parts of apps, mail attachments, backups
Versions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · CleanMyMac 5.7.1 · MacKeeper 6.11 · BuhoCleaner 1.17.0 · Sensei 2.1.3
A photographer’s Mac
Test 4 of 5- Lightroom Classic, GIMP, ImageOptim
- The user’s RAW photos and exports
- Chrome, Telegram, Spotify
MacWashing after the scan1 of 5
CleanMyMac after the scan2 of 5
MacKeeper after the scan3 of 5
BuhoCleaner after the scan4 of 5
Sensei after the scan5 of 5
How much each app found
MacWashingBuhoCleanerSenseiCleanMyMacMacKeeperjunk: caches, logs, leftovers of appsspace macOS frees by itselfnot junk: languages and parts of apps, mail attachments, backups
Versions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · CleanMyMac 5.7.1 · MacKeeper 6.11 · BuhoCleaner 1.17.0 · Sensei 2.1.3
An everyday user’s Mac
Test 5 of 5- Chrome, Safari, Brave
- Telegram, WhatsApp, Zoom, Discord, Slack, Teams
- Spotify, VLC, Steam, OBS Studio
MacWashing after the scan1 of 5
CleanMyMac after the scan2 of 5
MacKeeper after the scan3 of 5
BuhoCleaner after the scan4 of 5
Sensei after the scan5 of 5
How much each app found
MacWashingBuhoCleanerSenseiCleanMyMacMacKeeperjunk: caches, logs, leftovers of appsyour files, not junk (the app’s «large files»)space macOS frees by itselfnot junk: languages and parts of apps, mail attachments, backups
Versions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · CleanMyMac 5.7.1 · MacKeeper 6.11 · BuhoCleaner 1.17.0 · Sensei 2.1.3
What to choose
MacWashingFound the most in the “Web developer” test: 25.34 GB. Dependencies of old projects (node_modules, vendor, .venv) are shown apart and not ticked.
BuhoCleanerFound the most in the “iPhone developer” test: 38.07 GB.
MacWashingFound the most in the “Video editor” test: 25.76 GB.
MacWashingFound the most in the “Photographer” test: 23.35 GB.
MacWashingFound the most in the “Everyday user” test: 22.75 GB.
MacWashingRemoves only what its rules database knows. Apps and large files go to the Trash first. Three apps offered something risky — the ⚠ sign in the charts.